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A question from Mary in Dublin, who asks euronews: “I am Irish and will be going on holiday across several European countries this summer. Should I still worry about roaming costs?”

Nina Koudelkova, Europe Direct Communication Officer, explains about the costs of roaming with a mobile phone around the EU:

“When you use your mobile phone in other EU countries – to call, text or go online – the European Union’s Roaming Regulation limits what your operator can charge you.

“Throughout the EU, the ‘Eurotariff’ for roaming means the cost of using these services is capped, putting a stop to excessive prices.

“From 1 July 2013, it costs 24 eurocents per minute to make a call, 7 eurocents per minute to receive a call, 8 eurocents to text, and 45 eurocents per MB to use your data connection. These tariffs will be further reduced starting on 1 July 2014.

“Unless you have opted for a specific service or package, these price caps automatically apply. You should be informed by your operator of the charges that will apply once you have crossed the border.

“To protect you against excessive data roaming bills, the volume of downloaded data on your mobile device is capped, worldwide, at €50 or the equivalent in another currency, unless you have agreed to a different limit with your operator. You will also receive a warning when you reach 80% of this agreed limit.

“If you think your service provider has breached your rights and charged you more for the use of roaming services, you should first contact the service provider pointing out your rights and their obligations and ask them to solve the problem before you’re forced to take the matter further.

“If you’re not satisfied with your provider’s response, you can contact the relevant national telecommunications regulatory authorities. In many cases, they have set up special procedures and sort things out fairly and quickly.

“You can submit complaints to them about terms and conditions, quality of service, access to networks and services, and roaming services.”

For more information about the EU, call 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 or check out the website: http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens

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